


Pressure

by pathogenicagent



Category: Steven Universe - Fandom
Genre: Dysfunctional Family, F/F, Human AU, fowl thievery, some mentions of drinking and an implication of smoking, they're trying to parent, well it's more like past jaspis / complicated jaspis
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-26
Updated: 2019-08-26
Packaged: 2020-09-27 09:54:02
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,910
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20405782
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pathogenicagent/pseuds/pathogenicagent
Summary: 11 year old Malachite runs off after she overhears her parents having a heated argument over the phone.(( Wow I finally wrote a one-shot, even though it's technically connected to my Overflow fic ))





	Pressure

Malachite only intended on walking around the block. She just needed space. To clear her head. After what she heard, Mamá understood that, didn’t she? That was probably why she didn’t go after her –- she didn’t even yell at her for slamming the door so hard that it might’ve screwed up the hinges.

It was late. So late that aside from a couple of men straggling home from the bar, there wasn’t a human soul in sight. She wasn’t accustomed to it at all, having grown used to seeing their neighbors outside at night, burning trash and socializing with beers in their hands, or tending to their animals. All of them were asleep now. Even the wilder ones were probably passed out somewhere.

She and Mamá would’ve been in bed, too. But then the phone rang.

Remembering what was said, Mala gritted her teeth and quickened her pace. She didn’t want to return home. Not yet. So she kept walking –- the houses around her began to thin out, exposing more and more of the moonlit desert that surrounded them. Sand found its way between her toes and rubbed her skin raw. Ahead, a mouse scampered across a road, trying to escape an owl that appeared ready to swoop down. She didn’t wait to see if the predator caught its meal, now feeling more determined to create as much space between her and the reservation as possible.

Maybe if she kept going, she could make it to the ocean -– the one she hadn’t seen. No memories attached, good or bad. It can be a fresh experience. Untainted. 

At the very least, being there would mean she’s not in some miserable desert.

Further along, Malachite heard the clucking of chickens. She approached an old farmhouse with a hen house and a wilting garden in the back. A white blob running through the sad rows of crops caught her attention –- it appeared that a hen managed to wiggle herself free.

“Hey, little lady..” Mala crept closer, then hunched as she trailed behind it, arms outstretched and ready. If she left it out there, a coyote or a fox would surely have it in their belly before the sun came up. “Come on, don’t wanna get eaten now..”

When the hen stalled, she took her chance and grabbed a hold of the bird, pressing her hands gently against her wings. It started to squawk and kick in protest, but Mala held her tighter, then ran a hand down her back until she calmed down. “Good girl.”

Malachite brought her back towards the hen house, but stopped short of opening the pen door. This chicken was going to be slaughtered anyway, most likely. For all she knew, it could be tomorrow. It seems like it took a liking to her, too.

She’s never had a pet before.

“I’m calling you Rosetta, and from now on you’ll be my chicken, okay?”

The chicken clucked. She took that as a sign of agreement. Off they went.

After some time, she turned around to see how much distance she covered. The house was no more than a speck on the horizon. Mala thought she recognized the rock formations ahead. She squinted, second guessing herself. No, nah -– she was going west for sure. It was fine. That meant she’d be coming along a creek shortly. At least, what _should’ve_ been a creek. It had been a few weeks since it last rained. At the moment it was surely nothing more but a groove in the stone. 

Once she believed she caught sight of where the creek ought to have been, a cloud drifted over the moon. The desert was submerged into darkness, and it didn’t take long before Mala caught her foot on a root. She fell with a yelp, her knees and elbows scraping against the rocky ground. Rosetta kicked herself out of her grasp and ran off.

“Rosetta! Come back!” She felt foolish for even calling to her. Of course she wouldn’t just _come back_ –- she didn’t understand what Mala was saying. She didn’t know who Mala _was_. With a huff, she got back on her feet and dusted off her shorts and t-shirt. The moonlight returned, making it easier for Mala to spot the chicken, who was several paces to her right, bobbing her little chicken head.

“_Rosy_ -– Rosetta, come here girl - ”

Mala jumped when she heard an eruption of yipping and howling. A pack of coyotes were coming in her direction, by the sound of it. They probably got a good whiff of her chicken. Panicked, she sprinted towards her, praying that the bird wouldn’t run away again. What was she thinking going out there anyway? Did she really think that she could walk all the way to the west coast? And then what?

She was going to be in so much trouble, if she didn’t get eaten by a bunch of starved coyotes first.

Just as she was about to grab Rosetta, she moved away, far too afraid to bother staying still for her. Letting out a growl of frustration, Mala tried it again, not caring about being gentle anymore, so long as the bird was secure in her arms. Rosetta pecked her forearm and chest, but stilled when Mala didn’t relent.

“What's the use. We’re both going to die out here anyway.” Her heart ached in her chest. She doubted that she walked that far from the reservation, but something was bound to get a hold of them before she made it back. Mamá made sure that Mala was aware of every threat possible, and all of them were coming to mind as she stood there alone with nothing but a defenseless bird to keep her company.

“Scorpions, rattlesnakes, mountain lions, human traffickers, murderers..”

As if on cue, she saw a pair of headlights shining in her direction. The vehicle was far, but approaching fast. There was no road where it was, only open desert. The driver carried on anyway, clearly indifferent to that fact. 

“Shit, shit shit shit shit!” Mala went towards the creek, finding it unsurprisingly dry as bone, and jumped into it. She pressed herself against the side and kept her ears unguarded. At the very least, it sounded like the coyotes changed their course. The car, however, was definitely getting closer. When she heard it stop -– probably right where she stood when she first spotted it –- she held her breath. Someone shut the door and stepped out.

“Malachite!”

Mamá? 

Relief flooded through her. It wasn’t a trafficker after all.

She couldn’t rule out murderer though. Not after what she did.

“_Malachite!_”

“I’m down here, Mamá!” She wasn’t ready to climb up there and face her herself, but she couldn’t keep silent and let her continue to worry. She didn’t have to look up to know the precise moment her mother peered down. That kind of gaze could be felt. Similar to how Mala picked up the chicken, Mamá grabbed the sides of her arms and pulled her up with ease. After doing so, she put a hand on Mala’s cheek, forcing her to meet her eyes. They were red-rimmed. Her hair, blonde and thick like Malachite’s, was even more untamed than usual. She must’ve been raking her hands through it, like she so often did when she was nervous. 

“Don’t you **_ever_** do this again, do you hear me?! _What the fuck were you thinking?!_” 

“I don’t know,” she whispered. A part of her wanted to be defensive about her actions. Explode -– say things like, “_I’m sick of living here!_” or “y_ou and Maa can’t fight over me anymore if I just run away, so take that!_” But when she saw tears brim in her mother’s eyes, she felt her own water. Her anger dimmed. Instead she said: “I’m sorry, Mamá.” 

"Do you have _any_ idea what could've happened to you? What if I couldn't find you?! What if the wrong person found you instead?! What if you couldn't find your way back?! You don't know shit about surviving out here -- if you died the buzzards would've picked your bones clean before anyone could gather up a search party. Stupid, Mala! This was so fucking stupid!" 

"I know, Mamá. I'm sorry." 

She took a shaky breath and leaned into her mother as her arms wrapped around her. Between them, the chicken started to cluck in apparent confusion. Mamá eventually loosened her grip and stared down at it. 

“The fuck is with the chicken?”

“Her name is Rosetta and she’s a part of our family now.” She gave her a toothy grin. Maybe if she said it with confidence it would win her mother over. Judging by Mamá’s expression, it didn't work. Instead of arguing with her, she shook her head and stood upright.

“Just get in the car.”

“I’m not leaving Rosetta!”

“I didn’t say to.”

Mala did as she was told, attempting to fasten her seat belt with the chicken in her lap, with no success. Mamá pointed to the back with her thumb. No chickens in the front. She didn’t take the car out of park until Rosetta was in the backseat.

Aside from Mamá cursing under her breath as she struggled to find the road again, they sat there quietly. Mala turned on the radio, unable to stand it the weight of the silence. 

’_..Pressure pushing down on me, pressing down on you, no man ask for. Under pressure that burns a building down. Splits a family in two.._’

Mamá reached for the knob and turned the volume low, while Mala debated on changing the station. Her stomach was in knots. She didn't know how either of them were going to sleep when they got home, even though they were both exhausted. She wondered, did Mamá sense that something was wrong and hang up on Maa? Or did Maa hang up herself because she was too angry or too drained to argue anymore? 

She glanced at the clock. The sun was shining now, where Maa was. The sun wouldn’t rise in the desert for another 2 hours. When the call came, it wasn’t unreasonably late –- but it was still 1 in the morning for Maa. What was she doing? Were they on her mind, so she just had to contact them? Mala didn’t even have a chance to talk to Maa before the fighting started. Mamá paced around the kitchen with the phone, occasionally opening the fridge for a drink, then deciding against it. She was trying to cut down.

_“You have a lot of nerve telling me what you think would be good for her. How long has it been since you’ve seen her, Lapis?! At least I’m here! Where the fuck are you?!”_

That had been it -– what set Mala off running. She didn’t know if she could handle Maa’s answer, or Mamá's reaction to it. If _she_ had been the one to ask that, she was sure Maa would lie. Push all of the blame onto her relationship with Mamá, as if Mala didn’t know that there were times where Maa couldn’t stand her. The only thing that kept her in contact was her guilty conscience. She didn’t _want_ to be that parent who abandoned her kid. But she was. 

“Hey.” Mamá touched her shoulder. Mala had been sniffling. “It’s alright now.” 

“No it’s not.. I don’t think it’s _ever_ been alright.” She reevaluated her happier memories -– the signs were there, too, that something was horribly, horribly wrong. It took being around other parents to be sure that the way her Maa and Mamá treated each other was abnormal. It took Maa being around Steven for Mala to be sure that she could never be the kind of child her Maa wanted. “She hates us, doesn’t she?”

Their house was coming into view. She didn’t even notice that they had returned to the reservation. Mamá didn’t say anything until she parked the car in the driveway. The dim porch light gave away her look of uncertainty. 

“..No. She’s just.. complicated. Flighty. Malachite, she could never hate you.”

“Does she hate you, though?”

Mamá turned away from her, hiding her expression, then took the keys out of the ignition and opened her door. When she spoke, Mala barely caught it.

“I’ve done things worthy of being hated for.”

Mala didn’t know how to respond to that. She suspected that she wasn’t supposed to. After grabbing Rosetta, Mala followed her mother inside, being more mindful about the door when she shut it behind her. She sat down and released the chicken, who hopped off the couch and onto the floor. Mamá eyed it, then muttered something to herself in Spanish before addressing Mala directly. 

“Don’t get too excited –- we’re returning it tomorrow.”

“_Come on_, please! We’ve been through so much together!” Rosetta jumped onto a chair and clucked. “She agrees.”

“No.”

Mamá’s phone rang in her pocket. Mala froze as Mamá raised it to answer, seeming to already know who it was. Mala heard a voice on the other end: “_Did you find her?_”

“Yeah, she’s fine. ..She stole someone’s fucking chicken.”

Maa burst out laughing from the other end, causing Mamá to scowl. Though Mala suspected it was forced. “It’s not _funny_, Lapis. She’s returning it tomorrow.”

“No I refuse.”

“_Come on, Jasper, let her keep it. Don’t be mean_.”

“Mean?! How am I being _mean?!_” Mamá rubbed her temple, then walked to the kitchen to start coffee. She might as well. Maa said something that Mala couldn’t hear, earning her the response: “You get her the cage and feed then, if you think this is such a bright idea.”

After a moment, Mamá walked back into the living room and handed Mala the phone. “Here, talk.” 

Mala stared down at the phone, which she cradled with sweaty palms. She wasn’t prepared –- she didn’t know if she wanted to speak to her. Still, she eventually put the phone up to her ear. “Hello?”

“_Hey Mala_.”

“Hey, Maa.”

Silence. Mala focused on Rosetta, who was checking out her stack of DVD's, then knocked them over. She heard her Mamá sigh and pour a cup of coffee. 

“_You.. had us a bit worried there_.”

“I know.” She bit her tongue, so she wouldn’t say anything cold.

“_I suppose I shouldn’t have to tell you not to do that again._”

“No, Mamá already gave me the lecture.”

Maa made a noise in acknowledgment. They were silent again. Mala debated on turning on the television, but gave up on it when she didn’t see the remote anywhere. 

“_So, your birthday is coming up._”

“_Wow_, you remembered.” Mala winced, unable to stop herself from letting it slip out. Maa sighed. She heard click of of a lighter. 

“_I.. was thinking of us doing something. Together. There’s an aquarium in Serpentine that looks neat. Maybe I could fly out and take you._”

That.. actually sounded really fun. She knew which aquarium she was talking about -- it was one of the biggest aquariums in the country. She's fantasized about getting a job there and working with the sharks. 

“That would be cool.”

“_Yeah? You want to, then?_” Maa’s voice perked up. Mala gave a small smile.

“Yeah.”

“_Okay. I’ll book the tickets then_.”

She glanced over at Mamá, who was sitting at the table, trying to scrape something off of it with her nail. 

“..Can Mamá go?”

Mamá pried her eyes away from the table and fixed them on Mala. She opened her mouth, as if to say something, then shut it again. 

"_..I guess. I mean, if she wants to_." 

That was a better response than Mala was expecting. "Okay." 

"_..Okay, well. You should get some sleep. I'll call you later._" 

"Okay." She expected Maa to hang up, but she didn't. She was about to ask if she should hand the phone back to Mamá again, but then Maa spoke.

"_I love you._" 

Her eyes stung. It took a moment for her to stammer out, "I love you, too" in response before Maa finally hung up. She walked into the kitchen and handed Mamá the phone. 

"We'll discuss whatever you just signed me up for after you wake up." She said, then gulped down the rest of her coffee. "Go to bed." 

"What about you?" 

"I have to get ready for work in a couple of hours anyway." Mamá rubbed her eyes, smearing what remained of her eyeliner onto her knuckle. She thought she should sleep, too, but knew that telling her as much wouldn't be enough to convince her to do it. Mala gave her a one-armed hug, then went to her room. Without bothering to switch on the light, Mala felt around for her bed then fell onto it. She shimmied out of her clothes, unwilling to find anything suitable to replace them with. It was hot, anyway. 

Just as her head hit the pillow, the door cracked open. 

"In case you're wondering -- yes, you are grounded." 

"Dammit." 

The door shut, then reopened again. Something light landed on her feet. Something with sharp nails. When she moved her leg, there was a startled cluck. Rosetta walked along her body, then climbed onto her back. Mala was about to shrug her off again, but then felt the bird lay down. 

"Fine. But you better not lay an egg on me." 

Rosetta cooed. She, too, was drained from their long, perilous journey together. Within minutes, the two were asleep. 

**Author's Note:**

> I keep taking forever to write Overflow so I decided to publish this snippet that might not have been a chapter anyway. 
> 
> I'll probably do some editing on Overflow, too, since I realize there are ways I could've added details to the characters without being in the reader's face about it.


End file.
